The Remarkable Story of Corvette C5-R Chassis #009
Watch the full Motive Archive film below and experience the story of Corvette C5-R Chassis #009.
September 9, 2026
Few competition Corvettes have a story quite like C5-R Chassis #009. Built by Pratt & Miller for Corvette Racing in 2003, Chassis #009 arrived during one of the most successful periods in the factory racing program’s history. Its first major assignment was the 2003 24 Hours of Le Mans, where it wore the #53 and a distinctive blue, white, and red livery commemorating Corvette’s 50th anniversary. Driven by Ron Fellows, Johnny O’Connell, and Franck Fréon, the car finished third in the GTS class and 12th overall, earning a place on the podium at the world’s most famous endurance race.
Following Le Mans, Chassis #009 returned stateside and became the familiar yellow #3 Corvette for the remainder of the 2003 American Le Mans Series season. With Fellows and O’Connell behind the wheel, it scored class victories at Sonoma and Mosport as the pair secured the 2003 ALMS GTS Drivers’ Championship, alongside team and manufacturers’ titles for Corvette Racing. The car returned to victory lane at Mid-Ohio in 2004, bringing its career tally to three class wins in ten starts.
Its story took a dramatic turn later that summer. Chassis #009 was prepared as a third Corvette Racing entry, wearing #8, for Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Boris Said at Sonoma. During the pre-race warm-up, Earnhardt lost control and struck a barrier, rupturing a fuel line and triggering the now-famous fire that engulfed the Corvette. Chassis #009 was badly damaged, but its story wasn't over. Pratt & Miller subsequently undertook a complete restoration, returning the car to its 2003 Le Mans specification and #53 50th Anniversary livery—the form in which it is preserved today.
From a Le Mans podium and an ALMS championship campaign to one of the most memorable moments in modern Corvette Racing history, Chassis #009 carries a remarkable amount of history within a single race car. In our latest Motive Archive film, we take a closer look at the car, its competition history, the people who drove it, and the details that made the C5-R such a formidable endurance racer.
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